Hi Steve, a couple of years ago I ran out of compost whilst planting spuds in pots. The last 3 were filled with a 50:50 mix of woodchips and compost. I added blood, fish and bone and some chicken pellets to keep the nitrogen levels up. Did as well as the pure compost buckets. Never been brave enough to repeat it!
Hi Steve, thanks for the plug. The holes in the bottom of my pots are enlarged a bit, this allows the roots to get out easier so they can access both water and nutrients from the soil the pots are buried in...Steve...🌱
Loved visiting this from las t year as you inspired me to tr spuds in tubs. Not a huge success but have to turn out tubs from August planting and see what we get. Loving the option to move the spuds as weather demands !!!!
I have an allotment on quite a small site just outside of Birkenhead, Wirral - 40 plots - our local tree surgeon delivers wood chippings directly to our site and we help ourselves. Sometimes though it is either a feast or a famine!!
We have to buy them Anne, they are in short supply here as there's lots of competition for them, all the local golf courses like them a lot : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve, Potatoes galore I like it, It is a great way to grow them in tubs, it's hard work as you say with the watering but very fulfilling when it's time to harvest, I've just been working out I should have my first harvest round about the 26th May fingers crossed, So here's to a great potato harvest in 2020, Thanks for sharing, Stay safe and You and yours Take care.👍👍👍
Hi Ronald, We will be finishing last years potatoes next week, we have some ready for harvest by then, but the longer we leave them the bigger they’ll be!
Great video Steve. Im just finishing the edit for tomorrows video and that's covering water retention for potatoes in containers so might be worth a watch pal. Great harvests to come for us all
Most garden centres and online seed companies, as well as Amazon sell seed potatoes and Wilko are a good source too. I got mine from Marshals this year I think : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve, its me again! sorry to bother you but I can’t get any wood chips so what else can I use? I do have a pet shop nearby and they have bags of what looks like sawdust? I have just bought a pack of Estima seed potatoes and would like to have a go at growing them!
Hi Donald, it depends really on where you intend to grow them and when you want to plant them. You could for example plant them in January, or April. If you were starting them in a house/conservatory then they don't need chitting at all, otherwise I'd start chitting them as soon as the shoots show signs of starting to grow, if you can keep them dormant there's no need to rush into chitting, for more see my ebook: steverichards.notion.site/How-to-Grow-Potatoes-7bfc751e03d34e018ae8692a86110f14 : all the best - Steve
Hi from New Zealand Steve! A great vid, and I am going to try it out. What size do you recommend for the containers? I thought yours might be 5 gallon, app. 20 litres each, is that right? thanks
35 litres is ideal, see the relevant growing guide in my ebook, here steverichards.notion.site/Individual-growing-guides-bc279089de074c0ab0bfedc4f41d54dd
I like your garden want to know from where you got this plant pot interested to perched this two kind one the silver steel one and black plastic please let me as soon as possible thanks Irene
Hi Irene, check out the link to the FAQ document in the description of the video. The galvanised buckets are from B&Q but any hardware store sells them : All the best - Steve
Super interesting video. Is there a reason you burry them so deep? You would get much more yield only putting 5 inches of compost or straw on top of them and a few more after the plant pops through. Your potatoes use way less energy pushing up. It's a myth that the deeper the dirt the more potatoes yielded. I am going to try a few buckets this year with this method and compare for fun
It is and I've never used anything else, same with seed compost and all the fuss over vermiculite and perlite, I don't use either. I prefer to keep life simple and everything works just great : All the best - Steve
It's hard to be definitive as it depends on the weather Trudy, but once that are in full growth and the weather warms up start with a couple of litres a week and increase each week until water is draining out the holes. : All the best - Steve
Thank you for the prompt reply Steve! I’ve just received my three types of different seed potatoes (swift, Desiree & Charlotte) so they are currently in an egg box as suggested to sprout more. Could you please tell me the best time to plant them and should the soil always be wet once planted? As you an tell I’m new to this so really appreciate you’re help. Thank you!
Steve you are so lucky with the compost been a nightmare for me here in London, I had to order coco coir (never use it before) from eBay to bulk out the bag of compost I had for my potted peppers and tomatoes. My partner will try again on his way home from work today. B&q have a great big pile outside the store but guess what? They don't deliver, you can't click and collect and you cant go into the store 🤔 I'm confused as to why they are there. Thanks for another great video!!
We are, our local garden centre is closed, but I messaged them via Facebook and they said they had plenty that they couldn't sell, so they dropped it off same day! : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve. Not sure if you'll see this but could you offer any info or advice on reusing the compost from 35 ltr containers after growing potatoes? I tried it for the first time in 2020. I've recently spread the contents of 3 x 35 ltr containers on our two raised beds but that's all they could hold. They're now full back to the top. So we have another 9 x 35 ltr to figure out what to do with. Can the compost be reused the following year again for potatoes? If so would I need to add back the same supplements as when we originally added for the first season? (we added exactly what you demonstrated in this video including the blood fish and bone... As well as potatoes in containers as per your video I'm going to be trying some tomatoes and some Iznik cucumbers under cover and maybe a few other things outside as well, but again, I don't know if I can re-use the compost from last year's containers. I can't seem to find much in the way of info on this online. Thanks for any help!
Hi Neil, I've a section on this in my book www.notion.so/Growing-potatoes-all-year-round-39d3bff2844745b694e2a564694e3981#bec32d1c9a274187b10092bdcf2152d8 : All the best - Steve
Hi Wendy, for first earliest and second earlies the plants will start to die back, that's when they are ready. For main-crops it depends on the variety, some will die back, others keep on growing, but if you plant them late April/Early May they will be ready in late September/October although you could harvest earlier for a smaller crop. When you buy the seed potatoes they normally include a 'days to harvest' on the packet as well, although that's not always accurate for early/late plantings : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve I planted my potatoes in pots today. How often should I water them and for how long? How long before I see the green shoots at the top of the pot? Donald
Hi Don, there's a pretty good relationship between pot size and potato size, with yield remaining fairly constant. It also depends a little on variety, if you want small salad potatoes for example grow Charlottes and put 3-4 in a pot, if you want baking potatoes put in two. I cover this in the potatoes section of my eBook, the applicable chapter is here: www.notion.so/Potato-76539aace2cf432baa53ece2917cdc3f
Re-reading your question, you probably want the best yield I've ever had. I'm not really one for measuring, but I once had 7Kg from a 35 litre pot : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve I am up in NE Scotland when should I plant my potatoes in pots? Do u have to wait till you think the frost is past? Or would frost not bother them as long as the shoots weren’t above the ground?
Frost won’t damage the potato underground, unless it’s hard enough to penetrate deep into the pot, unlikely in spring. When to plant depends on whether the pot is outside or in a polytunnel. You can plant now if you have a double later of fleece to protect on frosty nights. I just started harvesting my polytunnel crop. : all the best - Steve
Hi Steve, great video. Do you earth up any of your potatoes? Is there any benefit in doing so in your experience? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
If you plant potatoes in the ground, you will be able to harvest potatoes in exactly the same area year after year. It is just like horseradish. Whatever you left unharvested this year will come back next year and you don't need to replant it again.
Hi Deborah, the FAQ document linked in the description has lots of useful links, I get them from growseed.co.uk if I have a few to buy as they have excellent bulk discounts : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards Hi Steve when you are planting herbs in pots what type of compost would you use? ie John Innes no3 or just multi-purpose or a mixture of top soil and multi-purpose?
Not really for main crop potatoes where you don't care how long they take to grow. But for very early potatoes it does make a big difference. I grow all of my very early potatoes (the ones we eat in April and May) in smaller pots and then I plant those in larger containers. That way they are in leaf from about 6 days from planting until harvest time : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards That's great Steve. Thanks for the reply. My first time to grow any vegetables so your video has been very helpful. I've just subscribed so i'll be checking in regularly. Stay safe. Dave.
Hi Steve - I’ve always been told you have to heap up potatoes but I’ve just got some pots like yours and see that you just fill them from day one. Does this increase the chance of them rotting?
Hi Sharon, no, that idea is a carry over from when people used to plant potatoes in the ground and then heap soil over the foliage to protect it from frost in spring and later to reduce the number of green potatoes. It's not necessary when growing in containers : All the best - Steve
Don’t know why I never thought to ask this Steve but if you’ve had blight on potatoes one year is is ok to reuse the compost the following year? For potatoes? For other crops? Thanks.
Blight only lives on living matter Neil, so if you've removed any tubers with blight you should be ok, but you might like to avoid using it for tomatoes : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards Sounds like a plan. Trying a new compost this year and trying tomatoes for the first time so will stick to the new stuff for those. Thanks Steve.
I’ve not Lorraine, my tubs are all in unused corners all over the garden which would make it difficult. It only takes about 20 minutes a week to water, it’s not a chore : all the best - Steve
Hello Steve, not sure if you have foxes around there? We have the on our allotment site and they dug 18 of 24 buckets. I think they can smell the BF& B 😱. All the best
We do, but they don't normally come into gardens unless they are after pet rabbits and chickens. I think they live by the railway line. We do have them on the allotments and they can be a real pain : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve Great video Steve, I put my Potatoes (Maris & Charlotte) on beds though. I cover them when it gets too much rain or cold.One question is where do you get your wood chips,looks like you got from somewhere local, as I pay £8 per bag at B&Q. Cheers Mate.
Hi Jai, we don’t have space for potatoes in beds, but they work well enough in tubs, keeps us going year round. The chips are from KC Compost, price depends on quantity, but for 30 bags it’s £1.50/40 litres delivered. We also get it free from tree surgeons, but they are not that reliable : all the best - Steve
You certainly can Don, just add some blood fish and bone. When my main-crop finish in October I plant garlic at high density, to harvest green in spring. See this section of my ebook which covers this topic www.notion.so/Growing-potatoes-all-year-round-39d3bff2844745b694e2a564694e3981#e1119ec3a2cb4ded9b1c3138c89962cb
Hi Kirsti, Gerry at www.growseed.co.uk/trays-and-pots/30ltr-bucket.html has a really good bulk discounts, I've looked around a bit but not found any cheaper : All the best - Steve
Can I plant potatoes in containers at the end of September? I have a south facing garde and sun comes on the room. Will they okay indoors with sunlight if i plant them now? Thanks
I do indeed, I do one every month, the old ones are here: th-cam.com/play/PLFhKoRR-NiCKqiCDNX9LLMlZgsY_Lq66e.html the new ones for October will be up soon and you can read a very high level summary here: steves.seasidelife.com/2020/01/18/all-year-round-vegetable-sowing-planting-guide/ : All the best - Steve
Hi Elena, 30, 35 and 50. 30-35 is ideal for 2 main crop or 3 early tubers. I like the 30 litres myself, just that little bit easier to lift, we also use these for our Tumbler tomatoes : All the best - Steve
35 is better than 30 for main-crop potatoes, the 50l ones are a bit too heavy for me to lift when wet, so I prefer to use them for beans : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards I am doing a bit of crazy thing... trying to grow green beans (climbing and dwarf) in the large, 70L pots. Without any protection. In Kent. At first they looked Ok (for a week), when they started to go yellow, now they are more green. I tried to put fleece jackets on them at night, but understood it is too much for me to do it every night. Too much hassle. Do you think beans can grow outside in containers without fleece through all winter? Or is it unrealistic? I also read that peas is more hardy. I planted it out in big 70 litre pots outside. They look just OK but not very perky!!! Do you think that peas is more hardy/weather resistant then beans? Or are they the same?
Sorry Elena, I don't think they will produce anything, they need night time temperatures above about 10c and plenty of sun, fleece won't help. Broad beans, field beans and peas are your only option and even then you will only get leaves over winter. Field beans are excellent for spinach type leaves. Peas you can get shoots, but outside they might cling on to life but they won't really grow. See my winter growing video for more : All the best - Steve
Yes Sue, I've had terrible experience last year with alternatives, although I keep searching. I try and get sustainably harvested : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve, a couple of years ago I ran out of compost whilst planting spuds in pots. The last 3 were filled with a 50:50 mix of woodchips and compost. I added blood, fish and bone and some chicken pellets to keep the nitrogen levels up. Did as well as the pure compost buckets.
Never been brave enough to repeat it!
You were brave, luckily I managed to get some more compost today, but I'm still using the wood chip mulch to save watering : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve, thanks for the plug. The holes in the bottom of my pots are enlarged a bit, this allows the roots to get out easier so they can access both water and nutrients from the soil the pots are buried in...Steve...🌱
Super clear explanations and relaxed style - a great combination. Thank you 👍
Thanks, I am feeling rather relaxed at the moment, we are very fortunate to live in a quiet sleepy little seaside town : All the best - Steve
Great tips and how to, thanks for sharing the Video 👍
Loved visiting this from las t year as you inspired me to tr spuds in tubs. Not a huge success but have to turn out tubs from August planting and see what we get. Loving the option to move the spuds as weather demands !!!!
The very hot summer wasn't good for anything in containers that needed a lot of water, my yield was down a little too : All the best - Steve
I have an allotment on quite a small site just outside of Birkenhead, Wirral - 40 plots - our local tree surgeon delivers wood chippings directly to our site and we help ourselves. Sometimes though it is either a feast or a famine!!
We have to buy them Anne, they are in short supply here as there's lots of competition for them, all the local golf courses like them a lot : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve, Potatoes galore I like it, It is a great way to grow them in tubs, it's hard work as you say with the watering but very fulfilling when it's time to harvest, I've just been working out I should have my first harvest round about the 26th May fingers crossed, So here's to a great potato harvest in 2020, Thanks for sharing, Stay safe and You and yours Take care.👍👍👍
Hi Ronald, We will be finishing last years potatoes next week, we have some ready for harvest by then, but the longer we leave them the bigger they’ll be!
Great video Steve. Im just finishing the edit for tomorrows video and that's covering water retention for potatoes in containers so might be worth a watch pal. Great harvests to come for us all
Might be too late Tony!
@@SteveRichards Never too late mate ;)
Always next year!
I do the same now after seeing your video and buckets are easy to handle great video
They are, although when harvesting in autumn, after months of rain, they sure do get heavy! : All the best - Steve
Hey .. everyone Moniee-Mon, is watching thanks for the info vedios keep doing what'cha do best God bless ya!.
Thank you James : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve, good video, So you don’t have to keep topping up the pots with compost as the plants grow?
No, just fill up at planting time
Great video for beginners. I put mine in pots in Oct then others in the ground soon (if the rain softens up the soil a bit!)
Have you harvested any yet?
Rain, what’s that, we’ve not had any for about a month, 2mm forecast this weekend
@@SteveRichards Hi Steve, I've not harvested any potatoes yet, I think they are a later variety of ones I had left over. I await the flowers!
Hi Steve im just wonderng what potatoes you have got initially and where to get them from as shop ones have been treated and dont sprout well
Most garden centres and online seed companies, as well as Amazon sell seed potatoes and Wilko are a good source too. I got mine from Marshals this year I think : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve, its me again! sorry to bother you but I can’t get any wood chips so what else can I use? I do have a pet shop nearby and they have bags of what looks like sawdust? I have just bought a pack of Estima seed potatoes and would like to have a go at growing them!
You don’t need wood chips or saw dust, just water them a little more. The wood chips are just to reduce evaporation : all the best - Steve
Hi Steve when would I begin to start chitting my potatoes. Im up in Scotland.
Hi Donald, it depends really on where you intend to grow them and when you want to plant them. You could for example plant them in January, or April. If you were starting them in a house/conservatory then they don't need chitting at all, otherwise I'd start chitting them as soon as the shoots show signs of starting to grow, if you can keep them dormant there's no need to rush into chitting, for more see my ebook: steverichards.notion.site/How-to-Grow-Potatoes-7bfc751e03d34e018ae8692a86110f14 : all the best - Steve
Hi from New Zealand Steve! A great vid, and I am going to try it out. What size do you recommend for the containers? I thought yours might be 5 gallon, app. 20 litres each, is that right? thanks
35 litres is ideal, see the relevant growing guide in my ebook, here steverichards.notion.site/Individual-growing-guides-bc279089de074c0ab0bfedc4f41d54dd
I like your garden want to know from where you got this plant pot interested to perched this two kind one the silver steel one and black plastic please let me as soon as possible thanks Irene
Hi Irene, check out the link to the FAQ document in the description of the video. The galvanised buckets are from B&Q but any hardware store sells them : All the best - Steve
Oh, and, you have beautiful hands Steve.
Thanks, nice and soft, from all the digging, I never wear gloves and I use my hands for everything : All the best - Steve
Super interesting video. Is there a reason you burry them so deep? You would get much more yield only putting 5 inches of compost or straw on top of them and a few more after the plant pops through. Your potatoes use way less energy pushing up. It's a myth that the deeper the dirt the more potatoes yielded. I am going to try a few buckets this year with this method and compare for fun
Show me the evidence, I’d love to see it. I’ve tried both and had great yields both ways, so I do the easy way now : all the best - Steve
Is that 100% compost that you were using? I’ve heard straight compost is too dense to use in pots without some sort of aeration material?
It is and I've never used anything else, same with seed compost and all the fuss over vermiculite and perlite, I don't use either. I prefer to keep life simple and everything works just great : All the best - Steve
Thank you 🙏
Great video! Thank you for the tips. How often should I water once they are planted up with the bark on top?
It's hard to be definitive as it depends on the weather Trudy, but once that are in full growth and the weather warms up start with a couple of litres a week and increase each week until water is draining out the holes. : All the best - Steve
Thank you for the prompt reply Steve! I’ve just received my three types of different seed potatoes (swift, Desiree & Charlotte) so they are currently in an egg box as suggested to sprout more. Could you please tell me the best time to plant them and should the soil always be wet once planted? As you an tell I’m new to this so really appreciate you’re help. Thank you!
See the growing guide for potatoes in my book Trudy www.notion.so/Gardening-eBook-6f57489ae10a4721b48b421826203814 : All the best - Steve
Steve you are so lucky with the compost been a nightmare for me here in London, I had to order coco coir (never use it before) from eBay to bulk out the bag of compost I had for my potted peppers and tomatoes. My partner will try again on his way home from work today. B&q have a great big pile outside the store but guess what? They don't deliver, you can't click and collect and you cant go into the store 🤔 I'm confused as to why they are there. Thanks for another great video!!
We are, our local garden centre is closed, but I messaged them via Facebook and they said they had plenty that they couldn't sell, so they dropped it off same day! : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve. Not sure if you'll see this but could you offer any info or advice on reusing the compost from 35 ltr containers after growing potatoes? I tried it for the first time in 2020. I've recently spread the contents of 3 x 35 ltr containers on our two raised beds but that's all they could hold. They're now full back to the top. So we have another 9 x 35 ltr to figure out what to do with. Can the compost be reused the following year again for potatoes? If so would I need to add back the same supplements as when we originally added for the first season? (we added exactly what you demonstrated in this video including the blood fish and bone... As well as potatoes in containers as per your video I'm going to be trying some tomatoes and some Iznik cucumbers under cover and maybe a few other things outside as well, but again, I don't know if I can re-use the compost from last year's containers. I can't seem to find much in the way of info on this online. Thanks for any help!
Hi Neil, I've a section on this in my book www.notion.so/Growing-potatoes-all-year-round-39d3bff2844745b694e2a564694e3981#bec32d1c9a274187b10092bdcf2152d8 : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards Hi Steve. Wow. Thanks so much for replying. I will check it out and see if I can figure out my options.
@@SteveRichards This is excellent ! I have just been reading this . Thankyou so much Steve . I will be trying to grow potatoes in tubs next year .
How do you know when to harvest please . Just found your channel and going to try.
Hi Wendy, for first earliest and second earlies the plants will start to die back, that's when they are ready. For main-crops it depends on the variety, some will die back, others keep on growing, but if you plant them late April/Early May they will be ready in late September/October although you could harvest earlier for a smaller crop. When you buy the seed potatoes they normally include a 'days to harvest' on the packet as well, although that's not always accurate for early/late plantings : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve I planted my potatoes in pots today. How often should I water them and for how long? How long before I see the green shoots at the top of the pot? Donald
Depends a lot on how warm it is, it can be between 10 days and a month : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards thanks Steve
That’s excellent. Thank You
Glad it was helpful! : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve whats the most potatoes you’ve had out of a 30 litre pot
Hi Don, there's a pretty good relationship between pot size and potato size, with yield remaining fairly constant. It also depends a little on variety, if you want small salad potatoes for example grow Charlottes and put 3-4 in a pot, if you want baking potatoes put in two. I cover this in the potatoes section of my eBook, the applicable chapter is here: www.notion.so/Potato-76539aace2cf432baa53ece2917cdc3f
Re-reading your question, you probably want the best yield I've ever had. I'm not really one for measuring, but I once had 7Kg from a 35 litre pot : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve I am up in NE Scotland when should I plant my potatoes in pots? Do u have to wait till you think the frost is past? Or would frost not bother them as long as the shoots weren’t above the ground?
Frost won’t damage the potato underground, unless it’s hard enough to penetrate deep into the pot, unlikely in spring. When to plant depends on whether the pot is outside or in a polytunnel. You can plant now if you have a double later of fleece to protect on frosty nights. I just started harvesting my polytunnel crop. : all the best - Steve
Hi Steve, great video. Do you earth up any of your potatoes? Is there any benefit in doing so in your experience? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
I don't as a rule, I don't see any benefit. However I do earth up my early baking potatoes : All the best - Steve
If you plant potatoes in the ground, you will be able to harvest potatoes in exactly the same area year after year. It is just like horseradish. Whatever you left unharvested this year will come back next year and you don't need to replant it again.
Yes, I know a few people who do that, I don't know why it's not more popular : All the best - Steve
Where did you get the buckets
Hi Deborah, the FAQ document linked in the description has lots of useful links, I get them from growseed.co.uk if I have a few to buy as they have excellent bulk discounts : All the best - Steve
Steve what size pots are they?
Most are 35 litres, but I also use quite a few 30's : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve does Jersey Royal potatoes have flowers
Sorry Don, I've never grown them. I've had a few years when even varieties that normally flower didn't, but they grew fine : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards Thanks for all your help Steve
@@SteveRichards Hi Steve when you are planting herbs in pots what type of compost would you use? ie John Innes no3 or just multi-purpose or a mixture of top soil and multi-purpose?
We don't do it much, I just use spent potato compost (multipurpose originally) mixed with the compost from our worm bin : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards Thanks for your help Steve
Hi Steve you said you used half rain water and half tap water when watering your potatoes is it ok to use just tap water?
Potatoes like slightly acid water, so it depends on where you live : All the best - Steve
Is there much of a difference between filling the bucket with compost straight away and earthing up as some people do?
Not really for main crop potatoes where you don't care how long they take to grow. But for very early potatoes it does make a big difference. I grow all of my very early potatoes (the ones we eat in April and May) in smaller pots and then I plant those in larger containers. That way they are in leaf from about 6 days from planting until harvest time : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards That's great Steve. Thanks for the reply. My first time to grow any vegetables so your video has been very helpful. I've just subscribed so i'll be checking in regularly. Stay safe. Dave.
Hi Steve - I’ve always been told you have to heap up potatoes but I’ve just got some pots like yours and see that you just fill them from day one. Does this increase the chance of them rotting?
Hi Sharon, no, that idea is a carry over from when people used to plant potatoes in the ground and then heap soil over the foliage to protect it from frost in spring and later to reduce the number of green potatoes. It's not necessary when growing in containers : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards thank you - really appreciate you replying. Loving your videos!
Perfect. A answer to a question ive been looking for.
Don’t know why I never thought to ask this Steve but if you’ve had blight on potatoes one year is is ok to reuse the compost the following year? For potatoes? For other crops? Thanks.
Blight only lives on living matter Neil, so if you've removed any tubers with blight you should be ok, but you might like to avoid using it for tomatoes : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards Sounds like a plan. Trying a new compost this year and trying tomatoes for the first time so will stick to the new stuff for those. Thanks Steve.
Sorry if you have said before, but where do you get those buckets from Steve?
Many thanks
Hi Lorraine, check the FAQ linked in the video description for things I use : all the best - Steve
Hi Steve can u send me another link to your online book please Steve
gardening-ebook.info
Have you tried self watering /wicking containers with potatoes or tomatoes???
I’ve not Lorraine, my tubs are all in unused corners all over the garden which would make it difficult. It only takes about 20 minutes a week to water, it’s not a chore : all the best - Steve
Hello Steve, not sure if you have foxes around there? We have the on our allotment site and they dug 18 of 24 buckets. I think they can smell the BF& B 😱. All the best
We do, but they don't normally come into gardens unless they are after pet rabbits and chickens. I think they live by the railway line. We do have them on the allotments and they can be a real pain : All the best - Steve
Hi Steve
Great video Steve, I put my Potatoes (Maris & Charlotte) on beds though. I cover them when it gets too much rain or cold.One question is where do you get your wood chips,looks like you got from somewhere local, as I pay £8 per bag at B&Q.
Cheers Mate.
Hi Jai, we don’t have space for potatoes in beds, but they work well enough in tubs, keeps us going year round. The chips are from KC Compost, price depends on quantity, but for 30 bags it’s £1.50/40 litres delivered. We also get it free from tree surgeons, but they are not that reliable : all the best - Steve
Hi Steve, once my potatoes are past can i use the same compost to grow anything else?
You certainly can Don, just add some blood fish and bone. When my main-crop finish in October I plant garlic at high density, to harvest green in spring. See this section of my ebook which covers this topic www.notion.so/Growing-potatoes-all-year-round-39d3bff2844745b694e2a564694e3981#e1119ec3a2cb4ded9b1c3138c89962cb
Any ideas of a very cheap supplier of those 30/35L pots?
Hi Kirsti, Gerry at www.growseed.co.uk/trays-and-pots/30ltr-bucket.html has a really good bulk discounts, I've looked around a bit but not found any cheaper : All the best - Steve
www.oaklandgardens.co.uk/heavy-duty-containers--30---130-litre-35881-p.asp
Thanks but i thought filling is the method? Guess ur method easier? Luv
What do you mean by filling Vivian?
Can I plant potatoes in containers at the end of September? I have a south facing garde and sun comes on the room. Will they okay indoors with sunlight if i plant them now? Thanks
They will grow very leggy and look a mess, but they will grow ok : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards thanks. I will wait for the right time then.
Do you have a video which shows what to sow when? Thanks
I do indeed, I do one every month, the old ones are here: th-cam.com/play/PLFhKoRR-NiCKqiCDNX9LLMlZgsY_Lq66e.html the new ones for October will be up soon and you can read a very high level summary here: steves.seasidelife.com/2020/01/18/all-year-round-vegetable-sowing-planting-guide/ : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards thank you, very kind of you. I am going to go through your videos right now. I am keep to learn. 😊
I can only get 20L buckets at the moment Steve. How many potatoes per bucket do you recommend?
Hi Peter, for small new potatoes you can get away with one potato every 10l, but for main-crop you want at least 15l per tuber : All the best - Steve
Is calcified seaweed ok to use
probably not for potatoes, real seaweed is best, but calcified seaweed is useful for other crops that need calcium
@@SteveRichards thanks I’m just starting out with my allotment this being my first year so just trying to get things right again thanks
@@SteveRichards hi Steve I’m planning on doing first and second earlys and main crop can you advise best time to plant please
There are a few variables, so bets to read the chapter in my book steverichards.notion.site/Potato-76539aace2cf432baa53ece2917cdc3f
what is the name of the container and where did you buy that container?
See the frequently asked questions in the video description, but growseed.co.uk is a good supplier of 30l containers : All the best - Steve
I like your video sir ,i like potatoes so i planted too but i don't know if it cn have a fruit😉
It can, but it's not edible : All the best - Steve
I've got potatoes in my greenhouse. They shoots have come through know, can I leave them in the greenhouse or should I remove them out side?
They are fine outside provided there’s no risk of frost Mark : all the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards ok I'll leave them another week or so thanks
New camera?
Just the same old iPhone Chris : All the best - Steve
Can we plant now?
Yes, but see this guide www.notion.so/Growing-potatoes-all-year-round-39d3bff2844745b694e2a564694e3981 : All the best - Steve
How big are your buckets?
Hi Elena, 30, 35 and 50. 30-35 is ideal for 2 main crop or 3 early tubers. I like the 30 litres myself, just that little bit easier to lift, we also use these for our Tumbler tomatoes : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards
Will you get bigger harvest if the buckets are bigger than 30L? Or no big difference?
35 is better than 30 for main-crop potatoes, the 50l ones are a bit too heavy for me to lift when wet, so I prefer to use them for beans : All the best - Steve
@@SteveRichards
I am doing a bit of crazy thing... trying to grow green beans (climbing and dwarf) in the large, 70L pots. Without any protection. In Kent.
At first they looked Ok (for a week), when they started to go yellow, now they are more green.
I tried to put fleece jackets on them at night, but understood it is too much for me to do it every night. Too much hassle.
Do you think beans can grow outside in containers without fleece through all winter?
Or is it unrealistic?
I also read that peas is more hardy.
I planted it out in big 70 litre pots outside. They look just OK but not very perky!!!
Do you think that peas is more hardy/weather resistant then beans?
Or are they the same?
Sorry Elena, I don't think they will produce anything, they need night time temperatures above about 10c and plenty of sun, fleece won't help. Broad beans, field beans and peas are your only option and even then you will only get leaves over winter. Field beans are excellent for spinach type leaves. Peas you can get shoots, but outside they might cling on to life but they won't really grow. See my winter growing video for more : All the best - Steve
Nice presentation, but you are using compost with peat.
Yes Sue, I've had terrible experience last year with alternatives, although I keep searching. I try and get sustainably harvested : All the best - Steve
I'm sure you have a lot of great info but it's not clear or organized plus you mumble -
Thanks for the constructive feedback Robin : All the best - Steve